Naruto: Pride of the Shadows
by The Stars in the Sky
Summary: Naruto is taught the ways of becoming a shinobi by an unlikely mentor. A suicide mission to Kiri and a fight he was destined to lose, gives him a powerful gift and an important lesson. Here is the Naruto destined to bring peace to the shinobi world.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Naruto: Pride of the Shadows

Prologue: No More tears

Naruto's breath came in quick pants as he tried to regain his bearings. Tears were streaming down his face as he wailed into the night. He tried to blink the tears away, as he looked at his surroundings. Naruto found himself hiding behind a dumpster, near the backdoor of the orphanage.

He cried harder, his sapphire eyes swimming, as he remembered the reason he was running away. The boy's 4th birthday was coming up and people started treating him like trash. The adults were glaring at him while kids older than him insulted and hit him.

The spiky haired blonde couldn't take it anymore, and started to run as fast as he could; not caring where he would end up. He was stopped when he bumped into something. He screamed in surprise when a firm hand grasped his collar and lifted him off the ground.

"I didn't do anything to you" Naruto shouted.

"You better watch where you're going boy" replied the old man with a scar passing over his right eye.

"I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" cried Naruto whilst flailing his arms and legs in an attempt to escape the older man's grip.

The man abruptly set him down and gave him a thoughtful look. The man said, "If you stop crying I'll teach to become strong enough to defend yourself and those you care about."Naruto wiped his eyes on the edge of his sleeve and looked up at the elder. The man trained his good eye on the boy and said, "It isn't going to be easy. I promise you that the training will be difficult, but when we're finished you'll become strong."

A small smile graced the lips of the kid. 'Maybe this can teach me how to become as strong as jiji' he thought. "Ok old man, I'm ready! I promise you I'll become stronger than Sarutobi-ojiisan!"

The man slightly raised an eyebrow but smirked inwardly, as he started to walk away. Maybe just maybe, Hiruzen was right. With children like Naruto the future of Konoha would be safe. 'But it's always better to be safe than sorry. I need a successor... Yes, Naruto will do the trick. If I can't become hokage, I'll make him into the one Konohagakure needs. He'll be the one to lead the shinobi world into prosperity.'

His thoughts were cut short when the blonde shouted. "Hey! You forgot to tell me your name old man!"

He said, "Danzo" as he disappeared into the shadows.

The next day, Naruto found himself in one of the dark gloomy training hallways of Danzo's base going through different taijutsu stances. "Become as unmovable as a mountain, but remain as flexible as a blade of grass." berated the man with the x-shaped scar on his chin. The man shifted his stance and toppled the kid over with the tip of his cane.

"Be aware of your surroundings but remain focused on your opponent." He said as Naruto stood up. Danzo swung his cane around expecting to hit Naruto on the cheek but the boy unexpectedly blocked it with his forearm. To say Danzo was pleasantly surprised was an understatement. The usually stoic Root commander was estatic with the boy's potential. Were it not for his experience in suppressing his emotions he would have smiled. 'This boy will be great someday' he surmised.

The council elder pulled back his cane and swiftly maneuvered the curved end to grab the kid's ankle. He yanked it and Naruto fell over yet again.

Naruto was frustrated and he wanted to scream at the man—it was his fourth time fall on his butt. He opened his mouth to scream when he remembered Danzo's first rule, 'good shinobi don't have emotions but the great ones know how to control theirs. Emotions like fear and anger can drive us useless and weak, while emotions like love can make us stronger.' Naruto cooled down and put his frustration into check.

Danzo smirked at his victory. Naruto had learned his first lesson. The kid was special and destined for great things. He didn't want him to become one of his emotionless drones since he knew the boy would need to learn how to relate with others to become an effective hokage. Having emotions himself, Naruto would be able to understand what drives people. He would learn how to inspire and lead. With emotions Naruto would truly become strong.

The blonde kid could grow up into a magnificent leader, one which Konoha needed, if he grew up right. 'I guess I'll just have to make sure. I'll be there every step of the way.'

Naruto stood up once more with a look so determined it could burn water. The look said, "Keep on trying. I'll just get back up everytime."

He went into his stance and steeled himself for Danzo's next move. He was ready for anything. When none came he tilted his head upward to show the man his puzzled look.

Naruto glanced at the elder and an image was forever burned into his memory. The old man was looking at him. His head was tilted down, and x-shaped scar facing the ground. Danzo's eyebrows were furrowed into frown while his lips were slightly curving upward at the corners. The man was trying to suppress a smile. There was something about the man's look that engraved one word in his head, 'Pride'…The old man was proud of him.

The tiny boy with yellow-gold hair did his best to prevent himself from tearing up but he could not help it. His vision turned glassy, tears slowly forming. He gave in and allowed himself to cry, but not before making a promise he would forever keep.

'This is the last time I will cry'


	2. Chapter 1: Seeing Through The Mist

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Naruto: Pride of the Shadows

'_thoughts_'

Chapter1: Seeing Through the Mist

"Ambush! Take cover! Form a perimeter!" were the words that yanked Hyūga Hakoto from his sleep. Amidst all the shouting and clashes of steel the main house clan elder willed himself to be calm.

Hakoto wasn't the most revered Hyūga just because he had the most advanced byakugan in his clan, but because of his composure and intellect. He not only had a byakugan with perfect 360 degree vision with range far surpassing his clan members, but he also had the most chakra in his clan. With all his achievement and abilities the Hyūga thought he was invincible.

"Byakugan" he whispered as his bloodline took effect. Using his incredible vision, he could see everything happening outside of his tent. All around him, Konoha nin and his clansmen were falling. 5, 4…2… He was the only one left. There were 18 Kiri hunter-nin surrounding him, forming a crude perimeter.

'_Maybe the branch members were being incompetent again_' he thought, wondering how else ninja with the powerful bloodline of the esteemed Hyūga clan could have been ambushed. '_They must have had a talented sensory-type ninja with them or it would have been impossible to sneak up on our ca-_' his thoughts were cut short as he saw a huge mass of shuriken flying towards his tent.

As the shuriken pierced through his tent, a rotating blue dome suddenly emerged and ripped it apart, hurtling the shuriken in random directions. The dome of chakra dissipated, revealing an elderly man with lavender pupil-less eyes standing proud. "Nothing can get passed these eyes."

Bellowing laughter filled the once silent forest. Hakoto frowned as he saw the enemy shinobis make fun of him.

"Surrounded and outnumbered, yet still as arrogant as ever. You certainly are a Hyūga" said the one that seemed to be the leader.

As soon as the last word left the man's lips, the air was filled with the whittling sound of hundreds of handseals being performed at an astounding rate. The elderly man surveyed his enemies trying to decipher their next attack by watching the flow of chakra with his eyes. '_It's a widespread jutsu'_ he thought. Smiling, Hakoto spread his feet apart preparing to spin into another kaiten.

He was about to spin when he saw the hunter ninja slam their hands into the ground. '_Seal_' was the only word that came into his mind. For the first time in a decade Hyūga Hakoto, the clan's Jinsokuna yashi (swift palm), felt fear.

He rushed forward with blinding speed, unwillingly to be captured easily. He could see the giant seal forming around him. The kanji spread instantaneously, irrepressibly latching unto him and draining his chakra. He reached the edge of the seal, arm already in motion to hit his nearest opponent with a lethal jyuken strike to the heart. His fingers hit his target spot on.

He froze when his enemy didn't fall to the ground like the hundreds of others that fought him. His vision flickered back into normal; he was out of chakra. His attacks were now useless.

The elder lifted his chin, wanting to die honorably. With his byakugan deactivated Hakoto never saw the senbon aimed at his nape coming.

The senbon embedded itself into his neck releasing whatever concoction it had into his bloodstream. He fell to his knees, whatever resistance he had failing. He looked toward the sky, mouthing the words "I have failed".

Before everything faded into nothingness he saw a majestic messenger bird take off into the sky towards Konoha's direction.

* * *

><p>Naruto cursed inwardly as his clones fist sailed past his cheek, wind chakra coated an all, cutting him. He suddenly fell to the ground clutching his head as pain flooded him through a headache. Memories flooded his mind.<p>

He was soon able to make sense of all the memories he received. He had sent a hundred of his clones to practice his chakra control. Going through his memories he could recall all the exercises his clones had went through. Half of them were going through the tree-walking and water-walking exercises while the other half were trying to split leaves in eighths with their wind natured chakra.

Creating kage bunshins was one of the first jutsu he learned after Danzō had taught him how to mold chakra.

Flashback

"That clone will do" Danzō said impatiently as he pointed toward one of the four clones surrounding Naruto. Danzō beckoned for the clone to follow him out of the room.

"Hey I am not annoying!" shouted the irate blond.

Danzō reappeared next to Naruto via the shunshin. The elder gave him the blandest look mankind was capable of. "My point exactly" he said sarcastically.

Naruto's eyebrows twitched and he stuck his tongue out at the insufferable man.

The man sighed and said, "I never even told you that."

The blond kid responded, saying, "So what? My clone heard it!"

Danzō smirked, letting the message sink in.

Naruto's eyes became as wide as saucers as he thought of the implications. "So…so you mean?… so… woah! I'm so awesome Danzō-jiji!" he said. "I can receive all of my clones memories right? If so, then I can use it to train and become a kickass ninja in no time! I'll become strong so Hokage-ojiisan can retire! He's getting as old as you Danzo-jiji!"

The smirk fell off Danzō's face as he heard Naruto's ramblings. '_He may have become more perceptive and intelligent but he's still an idiot_.' He looked at his apprentice and said, "Very good Naruto. You've discovered your new training regimen."

"From now on you'll be sending five clones to agent Boar and agent Beetle everyday. I'll tell you when to increase. Dispel them when they are dismissed from training." ordered the one-eyed man.

"Hai" Naruto nodded, complying with his orders.

Four hours later whilst sparring with Danzō, a battered and bruised Naruto fell to the ground; feeling nauseous. He clutched his head in pain as he felt dizzy with the onslaught information he was receiving. He recovered second later after being able to sort through the memories.

"I'll be leaving you to your training for now. I have been called for a council meeting. Work on strengthening your mental capacities. Practice receiving information from more clones." were the words he heard before the old man disappeared into the darkness.

'_He really likes doing that_' Naruto thought as he prepared to summon more clones.

End of Flashback

The amount of information one could receive from a few hundred clones dispelling at once was now laughing matter.

He got into his stance and readied for attack of his clones. As soon as they were only a few feet away from him, Naruto threw himself forward with his palms outstretched. He flipped forward, palms touching the floor, narrowly avoiding his clones' fists. The clones continued past him dispelling each other with their wind chakra charged fists. He pushed of the ground, pumping chakra to his arms to give him an extra boost. He sailed through the air with his right foot extended. In one swift movement he grabbed the third clone's shoulder with his left arm and nailed it with a powerful hit care of his right foot. The clone vanished with a resounding poof as Naruto landed in a crouching position.

Satisfied that he had defeated all of his kage bunshins, the yellow-haired kid took time to observe his surroundings further. The Root base he was in had not changed much in the three years that had passed since he had entered the covert organization.

The thick concrete walls were still the same unemotional grey they were painted in. The boy chuckled as he remembered telling Danzō to add more décor to his base. The training dummies were still of the same design although they were now made of a stronger, more resilient material; probably due to his harsh training.

The ambience was still the same. It still had that same gloomy atmosphere that permeated throughout the underground compound. Even the smell remained the same. It still smelled the same metallic small. The members still remained the same. Not to say there weren't any new members, but all of them save for a select few, were emotionless drones.

The boy drew out his tantō, admiring the well-crafted piece of polished steel he held in his hands. He had gotten it last year from Danzō when he turned 5. Naruto smirked as he remembered the old man saying he didn't give gifts; he gave tools. He admired the sword marveling at its cool touch, amazed at how it reflects light.

The boy could see his reflection staring right at him. What he saw wasn't a weak boy who could defend himself. He saw a young yet experienced shinobi; eyes that reflected confidence and bravery.

He had changed a lot over the years. He grew his hair out making the spiky yellow locks of his as shaggy and as untamed as the hair of his idol, the Fourth Hokage—the only kage Danzō-jiji praised. Naruto grew up to be quite tall for his age, standing at 3 feet and 11 inches. He had a fit, lithe body that could be graceful like a cat yet radiated power like a mountain lion. 3 years in Root had given him power, unrivaled for his age. Danzō even let it slip that he might even surpass the potential of the well known prodigy Itachi. All of his training and hard work was for him to be strong. He wanted to be strong enough to protect his home.

He was roused from his thoughts by the soft clanking of footsteps on the iron floor. The boy looked up, sheathed his tantō and faced the door. With a slight creaking sound the door opened, revealing a girl he knew was a year older than him.

The girl had smooth, flowing, shoulder-length jet black hair that curled slightly towards the end. She very light brown eyes that seemed so aware and wise for a girl her age. Her fair complexion made her stand out among those Naruto saw in Root. She strolled forward exuding a calm and cool aura with her fluid, calculated steps.

She looked Naruto in the eyes; brown meeting blue. "Uzumaki-taicho, you have been called for by Danzō-tousan."

She was the Root Commander's adoptive daughter, one of the organization's rising prodigies. The girl wasn't just strong; she had the brains to maximize her skills. She was gifted in genjutsu and also had surprisingly good reflexes a taijutsu specialist would have trouble with. Even with reflexes the blond could not comprehend, she was still only the second best in their age group. Second only to him… '_Maybe that's why she hates me_' Naruto thought.

The blond kid replied by giving her a smile whilst saying, "Like I keep saying, it's Naruto not Uzumaki-taicho." Used to his teammate's antics, the boy added, "You're so formal it's annoying Aika-chan." He stuck his tongue out at her and shunshined out of the training complex.

* * *

><p>Council room, Konohagakure…<p>

As usual the council room was in chaos, clan heads and civilian leaders were bickering amongst themselves. All of them were talking in raised voices, trying to impose their opinions on others. '_As if opinions matter… Solutions matter_' he thought.

Danzō entered Konoha's council room with his mask of cold indifference carefully applied. The man's breaths were smooth and even, showing his calm and collected state. He slowly limped forward, making sure to let the others think he was heavily relying on his cane.

He glanced ahead, surveying the room's occupants. He was the last one to arrive. The council members all knew that an important matter was to be discussed if a full council was called, and had arrived early. The other elders as well as the clan heads were there. Danzō noticed that almost all of them were sporting frowns. Most unsurprisingly was the wildly expressive clan head, Tsume of the Inuzuka clan. For the first time, not counting the Kyubi attack and his daughter's attempted kidnapping, Hiashi Hyūga could be seen scowling venomously.

Danzō lazily sat down on his seat and stared upon Sarutobi as the third Hokage began to explain the situation. The war hawk, his surreptitiousness and all didn't need to be briefed on the situation. He already knew.

He already knew of the situation concerning Hyūga Hakoto and its repercussions if Kiri had possession of an unsealed Byakugan; therefore he sent his capable and most promising ninja.

* * *

><p>A certain blond kid's shabby apartment…<p>

Naruto was swiftly organizing his necessities for an important mission. Danzō-jiji was sending him to Kirigakure to retrieve or dispose of the powerful Byakugan eyes. He was to travel to the central district of Kōka no Te and meet with one of their operatives, the agent who sent the messenger hawk. When contact was made, he was to proceed with his main objective.

The boy was both excited and nervous.

He was excited since it was an opportunity to prove his strength. He would be able to protect his home's interest.

On the other hand, the mission's difficulty was B ranked, but he was warned that it could escalate to a rank S mission. He had performed tons of B ranks and handful of A ranks, but the boy was realistic. S rank missions were on a whole new level. Plus, he knew Root couldn't afford sending more agents; jeopardizing the mission. Kiri gave a whole new meaning to the word tense. Due to the ongoing civil war, the mist shinobi were on high alert. Sending one ninja, a kid at that, would be least suspicious. After all, the path of war led to tons of orphans. Therefore he would be alone in this mission.

Shrugging it off, he once again focused on his preparation.

Once he had gathered the items, he placed them on a furled out scroll. He meticulously double checked them and filled out his mental checklist. Naruto performed a couple of handseals then he slammed his palm unto the scroll. With a tiny poof of smoke, the items he needed were now sealed within a tiny scroll.

The boy then kept the tiny scroll and changed into his mission attire. He wore a short-sleeved, formfitting white shirt that bore the kanji for braver in black. He then donned a pair of black shorts and the usual blue shinobi sandals. Naruto then placed steel plates unto his forearms and wrapped white bandages around it to keep it in place. Lastly the boy strapped his tantō unto his back, near his left shoulder.

Channeling his chakra Naruto then looked at his palms. Small black circles with curved lines in the center became visible as chakra circulated. These seals were the ones that Danzo's seal masters had grafted unto his skin. The seals were capable of storing tons of small projectile weapons such as kunai and shuriken. Danzō had told him that only people with large chakra stores could utilize this method of keeping ninja tools efficiently. By channeling a small amount of chakra to his palms he could then retrieve his kunai. He preferred this method to reaching into a weapons pouch every time. Releasing the chakra, the seals faded into his palms.

He was ready.

Naruto closed his eyes and shunshined away.

* * *

><p>3 and a half days later…<p>

Naruto sighed as he sat down on one of the elegant wooden benches the former pirate ship had. The boy was currently sailing on Goliath, a forty foot keelboat he 'borrowed' from a group of pirates who were harassing the fishermen of Nami no Kuni.

He leaned back, watching the golden sun touch the horizon, while his clones manned the sea vessel. The boy relaxed whilst thinking of how he could enter the island of Kōka no Te without being detected by Kiri-nin. The easiest way to arrive at his destination undetected was to sail toward one of the tinier uninhabited northern islands, and dock his boat there. He would then swim the almost quarter mile distance towards the main island.

Naruto closed his eyes, feeling the cool steady wind ruffle his hair. He began to realize his love for sailing during the day and a half he had spent at sea. Having a high affinity to wind, sailing was second nature to him. Sailing at this rate he would arrive at Kōka no Te in approximately five hours. He had until midnight to rest and prepare himself to enter one of Kiri's known strongholds.

Feeling the soft pounding of the waves reverberating throughout the hull, and the soft caress of the wind, was enough to make the sleep deprived six-turning seven year old boy to fall asleep.

He dreamed of nothing but frigid darkness…

A few hours later he woke up shivering. Covered in mist, his surroundings were barely identifiable. A clone's dispel alerted him that they were approaching a tiny land formation. Naruto stared at the moon. It would be his guiding light. The young Root agent sprang up and readied himself as soon as Goliath stopped.

It was time.

All that could be seen was a small figure wrapped in black flying from the ship's deck into the wild seas. There was a small splash, there were a few ripples, but nothing resurfaced. The mysterious figure was gone.

* * *

><p>Haku struggled to stay awake even when it was in the middle of the day and the rain was pouring. She slowly trudged down the slippery slope. She agonizingly dragged her feet across the muddy surface. Her stomach grumbled, and she stumbled. The girl's stomach was growling, but she knew she had to save what little she had for later.<p>

She continued walking until she neared the market district. Here she would beg for food. Haku found an alleyway that was partly covered by the overhanging roof of the nearby building. She decided to stay there until unusually strong rain subsided. The girl rested her back on the structure's cold concrete wall and fell asleep. She had peaceful dreams.

A wave of dizziness woke her, and she decided that one small bite wouldn't hurt. She reached inside her right pocket, fishing for the palm-sized bread a kind elderly woman had given her. When she pulled out her hand out, there sitting on her palm, was a tiny piece of heaven. A small smile graced Haku's features as she remembered the kind woman that helped her. '_Not everyone is cruel_' she thought. She parted her dainty mouth to take a bite when she was roughly shoved aside.

The girl cried out in pain as she fell to her side. Her day's food source was sent flying towards one of the many storm drains of Mizu no Kuni. Before she could react, a pair of hands grabbed her hair and pulled her to her feet. Haku gasped when a strong knee hit her in the gut. Another kick hit her in the side viciously. She fell to the ground, her head facing the heavens as she prepared for the inevitable. They had found her.

"We've found you at last!" one of her attackers shouted.

"Did you really think that we wouldn't recognize freaks like you? Or maybe you thought that disguising yourself as a boy would save you." chuckled the other.

The first attacker continued, "You bloodline freaks are trash! You were just tools meant for fighting wars. Now that the war is over, all of you are just a waste of resources. You don't even have a purpose anymore! Freaks like you deserve to die!" with this said her assailants rushed forward.

The breath she had been unknowingly holding escaped her as she felt the cool steel of the knife plunge into her. The thugs, being the cowards the really were, ran away, leaving her to bleed to death. Haku stared at the sky above, marveling at how the rain was slowly abating. She wondered what death would feel like. Would it be as painful as the life she led? She wondered if she would finally be with her mother, the one person she cared for the most. She cried. Was there a person in the world that cared for her?

Haku slowly closed her eyes, but the mist parted before she could, revealing a boy with yellow hair around her age. She stared at him intently. The girl observed his approach. The stranger carried himself with swift silent movements. He had a certain grace that one could be well described as majestic. He possessed an aura that projected confidence and bravery. 'He must be a shinobi' she thought. She had seen lots of shinobi in Kiri once. Haku being the observant girl she was noticed that shinobi carried themselves in a certain way. They were lighter on their feet and they carried themselves proudly. Haku was envious of them. She wanted to be confident and proud too. She wanted to be confident in her abilities, and proud of the fact that she could protect the people who were precious to her—once she had them.

The boy looked at her in turn, eyes full of an emotion she hadn't seen in a long time. It was familiar. It seemed like the look her mother gave her when she had tripped or accidentally swallowed one of her toys.

Haku observed him more. Her eyes transfixed with his deep, captivating, blue ones.

* * *

><p>With a certain yellow-haired boy…<p>

The rain was pouring as Naruto was running through the town of Kōka no Te, the town of hardened hands, the poorest town in Mizu no Kuni. Majority of its population were homeless and jobless; the two main reasons why its crime rate was so high. This became Kirigaukre's excuse in sending some of its members to set up a base of operations. With the civil war and everything else happening, the town's inhabitants could do nothing about it. Of course Danzō, being the master of sneaking around, was able to retrieve information. His info tipped him to: ironically, bloodline experimenting by the Kiri hunter nin division, and the suspicion that the rebels had made camp there.

Danzō, being one to always remain alert, had sent his operatives to monitor the situation. He had placed Root nins in Kiri headquarters, most of them going undercover as civilian staff. As the tensions in Mizu escalated—the bloodline purging starting the civil war—the time was ripe to plant Root's "seeds".

There were lots of buildings, but most of them were old and dilapidated. The newer ones seemed to have been built on a tight budget. Kōka was one of Mizu no Kuni's most successful towns, but it soon underwent a depression as the bloodline purges started. They were a lot smaller and the materials used to build them were a lot cheaper. The structures were a monotonous grey and brown. Décor was sparse; all of them were built for utilization, not luxury. He marveled at the town's planning. A main road—the one he was traversing at the moment—sprawled its entire length. They were no electrical wiring that could be seen. They were encased in tubes beside the roads. Markets and government buildings could be found in the center; for easy access. The whole town seemed to have been planned efficiently. It was like he was in a larger, above ground, and much cheaper version of the Root HQ.

Naruto slowed down to a walk as the crowds became larger. The crowds grew larger and larger as he neared the town's center, where an underground Root base would be located at.

His mission was to retrieve information about the stolen Byakugan eyes from one of their operatives he was to meet. Once he had the necessary info on the mission parameters he could then proceed with retrieving them. Though he was advised by Danzo not to continue if things weren't in his odds, Naruto swore to do his best. This mission was only supposed to give him a taste of what higher missions were like, but the boy hadn't failed a mission yet. He wasn't planning to.

It was midday when he had arrived at the market district. All around him he could hear shouts of bargaining. People were shouting out their prices and the products they sold. Naruto smiled as he could smell the various foods that were cooking in the food stalls. The streets were packed with people from different walks of life. The status quo ranged from shinobis, rich merchants, patrons, vendors, beggars, and pickpockets. The boy had spent almost half an hour traversing through the enormous market district. He weaved his way through the thick crowds like a civilian would.

Naruto couldn't use his ninja skills as hunter nin were experts of detection. They could detect chakra usage miles away. He couldn't even use his strength and push through the crowd as it would cause a commotion. Needless to say finding your way through a densely packed group of people, whilst suppressing your chakra, was a very arduous task.

The yellow-haired Root ninja continued his snail's pace of going through the crowd, until he spotted a small alleyway that went past the market district. He waded his way through the sea of people to reach it.

The passage was narrow and dark. Nearby buildings gave minimal cover from the cold rain. The alleyway was slippery and littered with puddles that were a few centimeters deep. There was also the stench of garbage, due to the trash bins that lined its sides. Amongst the smell of garbage, Naruto's strong sense of smell was able to pick out the unmistakable metallic scent of blood.

Naruto hurried along the damp backstreet, heedful of his surroundings. His body tensed, ready to spring into action, when he heard the clip clop of running coming nearer. With his keen hearing he was able to pick up the unevenness of the steps. The two persons approaching weren't shinobi. Their steps were too heavy and clumsy. Even an academy student could run better them. With this thought in mind Naruto relaxed and fell back into his cover as an innocent boy.

He continued walking and allowed himself to be hit by the two men, causing him to crash to the ground. The men would have appeared not to have taken notice of bumping into him if they hadn't muttered curses about 'nosy brats'. The men continued running towards the direction he came from. Naruto sprang to his feet. Brushing the dirt from his shirt, Naruto's eyes widened as he felt something warm and sticky on his palm. He knew from its smell that it wasn't mud. Mud smelled earthy and thick, while this smelled metallic and had a sharp tang. He knew what it was. It was blood.

Blood…Naruto knew it couldn't be his. He'd made sure that the men were unarmed before he'd allowed them to bump past him. '_No, it must be someone else's_' he thought. The blood wasn't from him or the men that crashed into him. It was someone else's. Someone had been hurt by those two men that were running.

Naruto ran. He ran as fast as he could without utilizing his chakra. He ran the way the way he ran when he was younger. He ran as if he was being chased by the mobs in Konoha. The boy didn't want anyone else to feel his pain. He just didn't. His heart raced as he rounded every corner. He could feel every second; his heartbeat seemed to be counting. He knew he had to get there in time.

Naruto froze in his tracks as he turned a sharp corner. The rain stopped and the mist cleared. Everything seemed so overly dramatic. Lying on the ground was a beautiful yet horrifying sight. Lying on the muddy ground, soaked by a mixture of blood and rainwater was an angel.

The angel in question was lying down on her back clutching her abdomen. She looked to be around one or two years older than him. Her silky smooth jet black hair cascaded down the sides of her face unto the floor beneath. It had fallen perfectly around her, creating a small circle around her head. It looked as if she had a halo.

She had endless grayish-brown eyes that locked unto his deep blue ones as he took a step forward. Their eyes locked for an eternity, baring their souls to each other. He felt that he couldn't let her die. He wouldn't, couldn't let anyone one who needed help suffer. Naruto decided to heal her and deal with the consequences. He would fight Kiri nin if he had to. He just couldn't watch people suffer.

The boy immediately dropped to her side, channeling healing chakra unto his palms. Naruto then stretched the green healing chakra to surround her, trying to detect any other injuries that ailed her. When he found none, he lifted his palms and rested it on her abdomen. Solely concentrating on spreading the healing energy to her injury, Naruto almost wasn't able to notice the soft hand that lightly touched his.

"Why are you doing this? You don't have to save me… They'll find you." said the girl in a soft but clear voice.

"I won't stand and let innocent people suffer. Don't worry, I'll protect you." he replied firmly.

"I don't want to live. My existence has no meaning. I don't have a purpose. Leave me here to die so you may live." She rebuked.

Naruto immediately ceased the flow of chakra to his arms and looked at her, his eyes blazing in anger. "You're wrong! Everyone has a purpose. It's only a question of being strong enough to find it… I believe my purpose is to protect those who can't defend themselves. I will protect my home, the people I care about, and the innocent… If you really need a reason… Live to find yours…Live so that you may protect those you love."

A small gasp escaped Haku's lips when she heard the boy's words. "…you really… mean…said," were the only words she was able to get out.

"Yes, I meant what I said. I promise… So will you now let me continue in healing you?" he replied.

A shy smile graced Haku's lips as she nodded meekly. '_I found someone who cares for me_' she thought happily in her mind. '_I now have a purpose_'

Naruto gave her one of his goofy grins, making the girl giggle slightly, as he once again channeled chakra to his palms. "By the way my name is Uzumaki Naruto!" he said cheerfully as he finished patching up her wound. "There, you're all good now!"

"Arigato Naruto-sama, my name is Yuki Haku." she repied.

Naruto's raised an eyebrow at the honorific but nodded and responded, "Haku is such a pretty name Haku-chan!"

This made the demure girl blush into a cute shade of pink.

Naruto sprang to his feet, splashing mud unto his clothes in the process. Haku cupped a hand to her small mouth and giggled. The boy held out his hand and lifted her unto her feet. The girl swayed for a bit before her knees gave out, sending her down. Before she could hit the pavement, Naruto grabbed her with both hands and lifted her. He held her closer, carrying her bridal style.

Haku squirmed and let out a small "eep", blushing into a deeper shade of red. She only relented when her head pressed against Naruto's chest. She leaned her head further and pressed her ear to his chest. She listened carefully until she could hear the thumping of his heart. It seemed so strong and so full of life. Haku smiled a little, the corner of her lips slowly curving upwards.

He would protect her. She somehow knew that one way or another he cared for her. As long as she was with her Naruto-sama she would be happy and content. She would try her hardest to make the boy feel as happy as he had made her that moment.

The young boy's cheeks reddened as the cute girl snuggled closer to him. He held her slightly tighter and took off to the roofs. He could feel the chakra signatures of a dozen hunter ninja. They had around four minutes left before they reached them. He applied chakra to his legs and ran as fast as he could, heading the direction he came from.

Stealth didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that he protected Haku and draw the shinobis' attention away from the Root hideout. No matter what he did, the hunter nin would be able to track him. Soon he would be surrounded by stealth and sensory ninja. He wouldn't be able to run. He wouldn't be able to hide. All he could do was fight and buy time for Haku to get to a safe distance.

"Kai," he whispered, releasing the atmosphere seals around his body. These seals, created by Root's seal masters, were like gravity seals except they didn't stunt your growth. By increasing the atmosphere he moved in, his body would become accustomed to it. When released, he would be able to move a lot faster, depending on what levels his seals were at. Currently, his seals were at level 2. The boy would be able to run two times faster. As Naruto ran, all that could be seen was a yellow and white streak that even mid jōnin would be hard pressed to follow.

He reached a distance a mile away from the market district where less civilians were located. If he was to fight he would minimize the casualties. His shinobi senses tingled. They were almost here. Naruto estimated, reading their fluctuating chakra signatures, that the pursing ninja were all jōnin level.

Naruto cursed his luck and sent two kage bunshin in opposite directions to buy him more time. He jumped from a rooftop and laid the girl down gently. The boy looked her in the eyes and said, "There are bad men chasing us. I won't let them catch you, Haku… It is better this way." He summoned a bag of supplies and handed it to the girl. "Here, take this and leave! I'll lead them away! Run that direction." He said pointing towards the East.

"Naruto-sama! Please don't leave me!" she cried, tears streaking down her pretty face.

"I have to go… It is better this way… This way only I will get hurt." He replied. "Besides, I will never leave you as long as you remember me."

"Na-na-naruto-sama…" she started.

"Run Haku! Run and don't stop until your feet give out! Please Haku… Do this for me." Naruto said. "I promise I'll be back, if you promise to be brave."

"I promise Naru-"

"Go Haku!"

Haku ran as fast as she could, leaving her savior to his fate. 'He will come back… He told me… He promised.' She repeated the mantra again and again, trying to convince herself that her Naruto would return unharmed.

She kept on running, tears falling off her face into the moist air. It was so hard to leave him like that. It was hard leaving the person who saved you behind.

Taking one last look, she saw Naruto standing proudly on one of Kōka no Te's tall dilapidated buildings. She could see his yellow hair majestically ruffling in the strong wind. She saw him, standing tall, undaunted, even as thick mists engulfed him. On his face, Haku saw was a smile.

'_Naruto-sama is truly brave,_' she thought.

The girl blinked and he was gone. The one person who had truly cared for her, and sacrificed this much, was gone in the mist. He was smothered but she knew that a fire like his wouldn't go out no matter what.

With Naruto believing in her she would be strong… With Naruto believing in her she could see through the mist.

END CHAPTER

* * *

><p>Author's Notes:<p>

I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

I'm sorry that it took a while to update. Life in high school is quite hectic. Especially when you're a leader in so many activities. We just had our exams which were a bit difficult. Luckily I passed all with great marks.

I love writing, and I write whenever inspiration strikes me. But you know what they say more comments, more inspiration. Haha! Just so you guys know, it really inspires me to know that someone out there is reading my fanfic. So comment to let me know!

Comments let me know that my work is at least appreciated. Inspire me.

To those more experienced writers:

Please comment!

I apologize if I have lots of mistakes in grammar, and etc. Just let me know and I will be more wary.

I would also appreciate your advice, and consider your opinions on my writing style. I'm an aspiring author who would appreciate any helpful advice. I'm willing to learn and practice through writing.

Thanks for reading! Until next time!

-E.


	3. Chapter 2: Cloaked in Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Naruto: Pride of the Shadows

'_thoughts_'

Chapter2: Cloaked in Shadow

The night was at its full glory—all encompassing darkness. All of the forest's inhabitants, save the nocturnal ones, were fast asleep; little did they know a small army was making its way through the dense and eerie plant life.

The faint rustling of leaves could be heard, though most of the sound, drowned out by the howling wind. Twigs snapped. Huge branches creaked.

It was obvious that the mysterious contingent was in a hurry. The elusive group made its way speedily through the forest, heedful of their surroundings. They were clearly accustomed to what they were doing. The group moved as one, swiftly making their way through the brush. Stopping for nothing they kept moving in an easterly direction.

The contingent had no insignia, nothing to label them by. Its members all wore the standard black shinobi attire. All of them were armed to the teeth-ready for war.

The contingent was composed of three groups. The first two groups contained around seventeen ninja each, while the third one only had eight.

Their leaders stayed in front, leaping through stray branches and vines, while the groups followed.

The first leader gave of an aura of gloominess efficiency-the man seemed to be the no nonsense type. His face was an emotionless mask. He had black hair, and a pair of dark shades. One would ask why he wore shades in the dead of night-but one never pestered an Aburame.

The second one had strange red-orange hair, the color of the sunset. This one wore a short black jacket with red straps, with a red waist-length kimono underneath. Even seeming like a misfit, he still managed to appear calm and respectable whilst jumping through treetops. This one was in the front of all, leading the three groups forward. He had his arms stretched forward as it trying to locate something—clearly a sensor ninja.

The third one was easily the most different of them. Most obvious was the age difference and gender. The two others were around fifteen while the girl was only seven years old. Even with her young age the girl was clearly capable.

She moved with a certain grace and sureness that one would only get through experience. She had jet-black hair, and mysterious light brown eyes. Her attire was standard save for a few differences. Her black formfitting long sleeved shirt had only one long sleeve. The one on her right only reached up to her elbows. Instead of the black shinobi pants she wore a pair of white shorts covered by a black skirt that ended a few inches above the knee. On her left thigh was her shuriken holster. A short tantō, around fourteen inches long, was strapped to her lower back horizontally. She was a ninja-a prodigy at that.

"We camp here," stated the apron-wearing leader as he signaled all of them to halt.

The girl disagreed," No, can't we need to catch up!"

"We need to stop and recuperate, 'else, we'll be of no use. What happened to your logic Aika-san?" he countered.

Mild shock and bewilderment showed on her features as she said, " gomen taicho."

Aika lowered her head and kept her face emotionless once again. She raised her hand signaling her own group to halt.

"Orders Aika-taicho?" said one in her team.

"We camp here," she said.

She looked back at her team, wondering if they were ready. Hers was dubbed a team of prodigies- a team that could supposedly adapt to anything.

Their team had always been successful ever since Naruto had been made captain.

But now in his absence, she had been named their squad leader. She now had the heavy responsibility of making sure all eight of her tram members came back alive.

Looking up at the forest's dark canopy, she asked herself one question, '_Can I lead them?_'

* * *

><p>Naruto shivered as he felt the cool wind flow around him. His surroundings were deathly quiet as if in respect for his inevitable death.<p>

Standing on one of the taller buildings of Kōka no Te, Naruto straightened his back as his eyes scanned his surroundings. From his vantage point he could see a dozen of Kiri nin creating a perimeter around him. They all wore vests standard to kiri for those above or at the rank of chunnin. Even without this telltale sign, the boy knew that these were no mere amateurs from the potency of their flaring chakra.

His eyes shifted left to right frantically searching for an escape route. There was none. Naruto prepared himself for what he knew would most likely be his last fight. With his current strength and capabilities he would probably be able to take down two or three chunnins. But these were hunternin, ninjas tasked to track and kill their own elite, and as such are usually part of the elite themselves.

Maybe with the Kyuubi's chakra he could take five or six before going down fighting. With his current chakra capacity he was only able to handle one tail of the biju's chakra before losing control. Going into a tailed form more powerful than his one-tailed form would destroy his chakra coils and poison himself with the beast's corrosive energy. Using the Kyuubi's chakra was going to be his last resort.

Suddenly mist slowly started swirling into existence. It was dense and thick, giving him a hard time to breathe. It was so dense that he couldn't even see his hand in front of his face.

Soon he heard a tiny whistling sound to his left. Naruto thanked his reflexes when he shifted his body sideways to avoid whatever was incoming. However the pain he felt on his left shoulder told him he narrowly avoided death. The projectile that struck him was surely aimed at his heart.

The blond seethed as his vision began to blur. 'I can't get hit by any of their blades again.' Mist ninja were infamous for lacing their weapons with toxins from specially bred urchins. One drop of this would be enough to stun a gigantic summon for a few seconds, or kill a human. Luckily aside from his strengthened immunity from Root's medical training, he had a tailed beast whose chakra began rapidly healing him.

Naruto unsealed three kunai from the storage seals on his palms and threw them the direction the projectile came. He threw one first then the rest with a slight delay. The second aimed slightly to the right where the first was and the third slightly lower. The boy then leapt to where he remembered another building was.

Flashback

It had been a long day for Naruto. His new training regimen involved hitting his shadow clone with kunai. He kept trying but the clone always succeeded in blocking it. The young boy sighed and started picking up his equipment. Before he could get to the marker from which he threw, a man walked out from the shadows. "I see you're having a hard time." the man stated.

"Good to see you too one eye." Naruto said sarcastically.

Danzō raised an eyebrow but ignored the boy's frustration. He was the adult after all. Danzo straightened his posture and let his cane fall. "Naruto why do shinobi use kunai?"

The boy immediately replied, " To test the other shinobi of course, to distract and measure their abilities. Kunai are also used to set the pace of the battle. They're used for offense and defense."

"While your answer is correct it still doesn't contain the main reason why shinobi use kunai." Danzō paused for a while to stare at Naruto before continuing, "Ninja use kunai for the main purpose they were made in the first place. A long ranged means to injure, maim or kill your enemy. That's why they are forged sharp in the first place. Watch carefully."

"Hai!" the boy replied, giving him a nod.

Danzō reached into his pocket grabbing three kunai. He tensed his good arm, and with a flick of his wrist threw the kunai towards Naruto's clone.

It seemed to be a regular throw, but the boy watching carefully saw what the old war-veteran was going for. The first kunai was aimed at his clone's head. The second and the third were released a blink after the first one. The trick was in the placing of the projectiles, the second kunai was slightly offset the first one, while the third slightly lower.

The clone blocked the first one and the second with the blade in hand, but was hit by the third.

'_I see... Danzō-jiji used the first one as distraction, for the enemy to block or dodge, and the second and third ones were thrown at the same time. As ninja usually only use one blade to block the opponent would be able to block only one_.'

"But as shinobi it is our profession to be unpredictable, therefore if good enough, an enemy nin may escape you altogether. It is your job therefore to remain more unpredictable." Danzo stated before retreating into the shadows.

Flashback End

Immediately screams of anguish followed. '_A hit,_' Naruto thought. His kunai after all, were laced with poison that overloaded the nerves, causing mind-splitting pain.

The boy started forming handseals intent on finishing his adversaries. When a familiar prickling feeling forced him to stop.

Without warning, blades had started appearing around Naruto. He could feel one on his neck and another on his side. "You're surrounded kid. Just surrender!" a voice said.

"Never," he whispered. As soon as he said the word, razor sharp blades plunged into him.

As cold steel plunged into the young Konoha shinobi, a large explosion rocked the less populated portion of the Market District.

The explosion was so destructive that several buildings were reduced to rubble. The shockwave of the explosion pushed the thick mist outwards, forming a circular clearing. The district now sported a huge crater almost half a kilometer wide.

Shouts and screams soon graced the once silent district as civilians ran from the area while more shinobi poured in.

On a building missing more than half of its structure, Naruto stood and surveyed the damage his exploding shadow clone had caused.

'_I took down one with kunai and eight with that jutsu but at what cost?_' Soon more and more chakra signatures filled the area. Naruto cursed as the chances of getting out of his predicament dramatically lessened. He had less than half his chakra left due to the last technique he used.

Gathering his chakra once more, the boy concentrated and used all his chakra on his next move.

"Bunshin no jutsu!" yelled the small shinobi.

The whole area shimmered as hundreds upon hundreds of regular bunshins came into existence.

Immediately shouts filled the area as the numerous Kiri-nin whom had responded to the situation rushed into battle.

The sound of screeching metal resonated though the air as ninja drew their various weapons.

With great coordination, the Kiri-nins headed towards his position. There were around half a hundred of them.

As the enemy approached him, Naruto noticed them splitting into groups of five. '_Ah this must be the classic Kiri tactic_' Instead of the classic team consisting of four members, Kiri's non-genin teams had the additional member. This was due to the fact that Kirigakure had more than the usual amount of missing-nin. The member added to the team was usually a sensor or a tracker, as they needed teams to be versatile enough to hunt down any traitor ninja on their missions.

The boy ran as fast a he could, knowing his illusions were worthless to Kirigakure's tracker ninja. Naruto raced through the market district jumping over crates and running through small alleys. But his attempt at escape was in vain. He realized that he was cornered when he heard a familiar whistling sound.

Naruto's reflexes kicked in when the hundreds of kunai and senbon were sent barraging through the air. They came from all directions. The boy kept dodging as he drew a kunai and his tanto.

'_Kuso! I can't dodge it_' he thought as senbon raced through the air, inevitably piercing the back part of his right leg.

Naruto fell unto one knee as pain seared through his body. The effects of the poisoned senbon were immediate as the boy could feel the poison burn through his body. Soon his vision clouded; all that he could make out were the blurry outlines of ninja surrounding him. Soon darkness claimed him as the poison took its toll.

* * *

><p>"BOOOM!"<p>

Aika was shaken from her reverie by the slight movement of the earth. After traveling for three days they were now in Kōka no Te. She looked up at the skyline. Not faraway, she could see the smoke rising from what she could make out to be the market district.

"That's Naruto. We'd better hurry," said the red-haired leader.

The girl breathed heavily as she and the Root contingent rushed to where they had felt the explosion come from.

"Aika! Lead your men to Naruto's position. Fu's team and mine will hold them off," ordered the Aburame.

The black-haired girl nodded then leapt off toward the nearest rooftop with her team. She gathered chakra unto her legs and jumped on top of one of the taller buildings in Kōka no Te. From her vantage point, Aika could see a blond haired boy on top of a building that was missing a large portion of its side. The boy was on one knee, struggling to stand up. 'Naruto!' she thought.

In a blink she was on top of the building her comrade was standing on. "Naruto! Hang on! Please!" She desperately pleaded. The root nin knew she was too late when the boy she idolized collapsed on the rooftop.

She lowered her gaze at her fallen friend then leveled it back at the opposing ninja. "Sai, get his body out of here. I'll slow them down. Shin use your tantō to cut them down. Dajimu clear a path for Sai and lead them to the base. Tera watch my back. Kagemane no jutsu!"

Without a moments pause, her team acted out her orders. Shin, the grey-haired one, pulled out his tantō and engaged the enemy in a fierce battle of the blades. Sai grabbed Naruto's collar and hefted him unto a bird he had drawn earlier. Dajimu leapt unto the bird as it gained altitude. Tera on the other hand was busy deflecting the various projectiles being thrown at Akia.

Akia smirked and said, "Kagemane success".

Seconds later all of Team Aika's opponents were downed.

"Tera, Shin let's head to the main regiment."

"Hai taicho!" responded both of them.

The three of them leapt off into the battle below. Crouching low after her landing, she could see two different battles with very different results. To her left she could see Aburame Torune, the insect-user, and his team trouncing the mist ninja. To her right were Yamanaka Fu and his team, heavily surrounded and clearly losing the one-sided fight.

"Shin head to Torune and tell him we've recovered Naruto. Tera and I will assist Team Yamanaka."

"Hai," responded the grey-haired nin, disappearing into the fray.

The girl and her subordinate then went off to assist their comrades.

The Konoha ninja were down twelve to seventeen. Though they had eliminated eight of them and only five of them were taken down, they were on the weaker side due to lack of stamina and chakra. The Root team was tired and beaten. Escape was the only way to minimize losses.

Aika knew this as she and her teammate carefully approached their position. Fu and his men were cornered against a building. The team was literally surviving on Fu's genjutsu—and he was running out of chakra fast.

She pulled out her blade and reflected some light unto the sunset-haired ninja's face. Her hands immediately formed signs as he nodded his confirmation to the girl's actions.

"Kage nui no Jutsu!" Thick strands of darkness suddenly slithered from the ground entangling the ninja from Kiri.

Adding to the chaos, Tera threw flash grenades into the fray. Their teammates took advantage of the enemies' plight as they took off into the nearby buildings. The two youngsters joined Fu and his team.

"Status?" asked the more experienced leader.

"We have recovered Naruto, but we have seen no sign of our contacts." She supplied.

"Our spies may have been compromised. Let's head to base and recover before we plan our next move."

"Hai!"

Aika surmised that Root base was either a stroke of genius or a stupid mistake. Located in the center of town, hidden in plain sight was the base. Their safe house was no other than one of Kiri's numerous outposts.

It would seem impossible not to find the enemy at your base but not if everyone in that base was in on the conspiracy. Somehow Root's commander was able implant enough spies to run an entire outpost. To Aika it seemed her stepfather practiced what he preached, "Keep your enemies as close as you can."

The outpost was just an unassuming two-story building bearing the Kirigakure symbol. On the second floor one could locate one of the Mist's cryptography units. The first floor had the mission desks where patrol routes were given. Underneath one of the mission desks was the secret passage to Root's underground bunker.

The bunker was a labyrinth of sorts. Even if under siege, she suspected it would be able to last for at least a week. With the number of traps and illusions embedded in the narrow corridors, the enemy would be smart not to venture in. The bunker also sported a number of escape routes that lead to sewage and other Root controlled areas in the town.

Currently the black haired girl was cursing her luck as her senior lead them through one of Kiri's large storm drains. Not only was the gloomy and smelly atmosphere getting on her nerves, the normally stoic girl also had her friend on her mind. The inconvenience and worry only added to the girl's impatience. " Are we there yet?" she asked for the eighth time.

"We are near," replied the elder ninja without any trace of emotion.

"We need to get there faster Naruto needs medical attention!"

"The base has competent healers the jinchuriki won't be needing any of your rudimentary healing techniques."

"But…"

"The young ninja is in safe hands—here we are," said the Yamanaka as he performed the proper handseals to unlock the seal keeping the door to the bunker booby-trapped. He grabbed the handle and pushed it forward, suddenly stopping the familiar silhouette of a blade could be seen near his throat.

A feminine lilting voice could be heard saying, "We were waiting for you."

Smoke started rising as soon as the voice was heard. Not a second later, all of them were unconscious.

Aika slowly opened her eyes, her eyes adjusting to the bright ambience of the room. She scanned the room, taking in her surroundings. The room seemed to be the classic venue for interrogation. There was a wooden table in the center. Instead of carrying various torture devices their various weapons were laid out. It seemed their own weapons would be used against them.

Looking further she could see all of them were tied up to steel chairs. Their unknown assailant had even captured Torune and his team. They were bound with thick ropes in such a way that it prevented one from making handseals that required two hands. She tried flexing her wrists, checking the strength of her restraints.

"Ah, it seems that all of you are awake," said blue-haired man stepping out from the shadows. The man seemed to be approaching his forties. He wore a green robe that could be commonly seen on hunter-nin.

"We would want to know what you objective is in Kiri," added a woman with flowing red hair. She had a curvy and elegant body, which had all the right proportions. The woman seemed to be in her twenties but she radiated so much power and commanded so much respect for someone so young.

'_She's the leader here,_' thought Aika.

"We'll tell you nothing!" Shouted Fu whilst forming a handseal with one hand.

Suddenly the blue-haired man screamed in pain as he clutched his head. The red haired woman reacted readily, grabbing one of the nearby tantō and moving in to split Fu's head in two. The blade's movement was stopped a foot short of the intended target.

The woman's eyes widened as she looked down at her feet. From her foot extended a thin black tendril that could be traced to the foot of the younger female.

The girl smirked as the voluptuous woman glared at her. "My oh my, it seems that we have quite the ability there darling. But too bad you aren't strong enough to hold me completely."

Aika felt the air getting thicker as the killing intent rose to unfathomable levels. The girl's hand quivered slightly as she slowly felt her control slipping. '_She's too strong!_'

Soon the blade started moving again but at a painstaking pace. The blade arced slowly inch-by-inch as if taunting death.

Beads of sweat rolled down her face as she used all her might in ceasing the woman's movement. '_No, please! Come on, I can do this_!'

The sharp tantō was only a hairbreadth away when Aika's handseal quivered.

Blood splattered as the cool steel met flesh.

* * *

><p>Naruto woke up disoriented and confused. First of all he wasn't dead and second, he didn't know how he had ended up in a sewer. 'It smells so bad. Why couldn't I just wake up in a hospital like regular shinobi'<p>

He picked himself up and headed the water went. '_It must lead to an exit,_' he reasoned.

The boy kept walking until he reached the end of the sewage. He had noticed that the sewer kept getting bigger and bigger. Now it was around third a kilometer wide and half a kilometer tall. At the end he noticed a huge doorway barred by equally huge metal bars.

For some reason he could feel unimaginable power emanating from beyond the bars. '_Wow so much power…_'

"At last I meet my miserable host," Said a deep bubbling voice from beyond the bars, "At last I can see it with my own eyes."

Naruto's heart stopped as the nine tailed fox stepped out from the darkness.

END CHAPTER

* * *

><p>Author's Notes:<p>

How was it? Review, review, review!

Tell me what you think! Tell me what I need to improve on etc.

Thanks for reading I hope you guys enjoyed it.

-E


	4. Chapter 3: Strong Winds

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Naruto: Pride of the Shadows

'_thoughts_'

Chapter3: Strong Winds

Flashback

It had been a few hours since the news of the Hyuga's capture. Danzo, having nothing better to do briefly scanned the room. Everywhere he looked he could see the oblivious faces of the civilian council members. Oh how it disgusted him. They could be starting the Fourth Shinobi War and the civilians wouldn't even bat an eyelash. All they cared about was their precious money.

When they should have been discussing contingency plans for the potential theft of one of their treasured abilities, they were discussing petty civilian concerns.

He couldn't even fathom the reason why the Third allowed them to remain on the council. Of course it seemed necessary when the Third Shinobi War ended—ninja were going hungry as supplies were at an all time low. The only solution was to attract civilians to provide them with the necessities while they made the village strong. To make this possible, Konoha boasted giving civilians a right to have a say in village matters. But now that Konoha was back on its feet, the civilian council was no longer needed. Instead of helping the village prosper, they grew like weeds. Corruption became widespread as the civilian council members were easily swayed by money and favors.

Now they were discussing some petty thing about making the curriculum in the ninja academy easier. The civilians reasoned that with current peaceful times, Konoha should be able to train ninjas with a smaller budget. 'Of course they would like that. They wanted their spoiled children to become ninjas and earn the fame and power they weren't able to get themselves.' He knew their petitions were futile. Surely the Third thought that the next generation had to be capable enough to bear their burdens. Their request would soon be shot down by the Hokage's office.

Root would have to deal with this council one day, as it was destroying the great village of Konoha.

Danzo gripped his cane tighter as tiny bursts of electricity were sent into his system. The shocks came from the wooden cane in his hand. Looking at it he saw the seals he had placed had been triggered. Somewhere in the Elemental Nations, one of his agents was being interrogated.

The one-eyed man stood up from his seat saying, "I apologize for my abruptness, but I am needed elsewhere."

He gripped his cane even tighter and made his act of limping to the door.

Once outside Danzo channeled chakra to his cane. He made a seal with his free hand, activating the seals he had drawn unto the wood. The cane's tip slowly left the floor, leading his arm to point at an easterly direction. The man's visible eye widened in understanding. 'Kiri.'

'_It seems as though Kiri as gotten wind of our operations. Naruto's mission will now be impossible for him to carry out alone. His life would be at stake_.' he thought, '_I won't let Kiri steal Konoha's strength_.'

"Fu, Torune!" he barked.

The two ninja immediately appeared as they were called. Both knelt on one knee awaiting their orders.

"Gather your squads an tell Aika to report to me. Your first priority will be to recover the Byakugan. The second will be to gather data on the status of our bases. It seems as though some of our men in Kiri have been captured. That is all."

"Hai!" they responded with a salute.

In a blink of an eye both ninja were gone and Danzo was left to his thoughts. He knew that the tides were shifting in Kiri—tides that would shape the future of the shinobi world. He wasn't so sure of his plans anymore. Most of them revolved around the fate of one yellow-haired kid.

'_I need him to survive. Konoha will rely on his strength in the future—a future where I am not needed anymore. Hiruzen has the ninja academy to pass his beliefs. I have Aika and Root. Hiruzen has his students, grandchild, and son to pass his strength to. I have Naruto_.'

This time Danzo swore he would beat his rival. He would leave Konoha a better legacy.

His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of his seven-year-old stepdaughter.

"Danzo-sama you called for me?" asked Aika in her ever-respectful tone.

" Yes I did. I will be sending you on a mission where you will accompany Torune and Fu. Your primary objective will be to ensure Naruto's safety. Your second objective will be to assist in Fu and Torune's mission. Gather Naruto's team. You will be leading them. Don't disappoint me. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," she replied with a small bow.

Flashback End

That had been his last memory of her daughter as she went off to fight for her village. All of this had occurred several days ago. Now his men were in Kiri, fighting whatever faction had found them out.

Danzo grinded his teeth as shocks were once more sent to his system. Once again his cane pointed east. '_Could she and her team have been captured? Has Kiri killed them off?_'

The aged man sighed as he felt himself getting even older. Even though he raised his daughter always showing his cold and tough demeanor, she still held a piece of his old and scarred heart—her and Naruto.

Ever since he had found her in an orphanage beating every kid in the games they played he knew she was special. He adopted her, thinking to make her his most loyal soldier. Instead of being only that Aika was able to inch her way into his heart. It also helped that DNA analysis showed that she was half Nara and half Inuzuka. Aika grew up displaying amazing potential. When the girl fought,she used her Inuzuka senses and her sharp Nara mind. She always proved herself, beating every Root operative her age; all but Naruto.

The boy was an enigma to him. He knew everything about him. He had made his plans with him in mind. But whenever it came to Naruto, nothing was set in stone. The blond would always surprise him. One minute the boy could be like Itachi, cold, ruthless, and loyal. He was even as strong as Itachi was when he was six—maybe even stronger. The next he could be warm and accommodating, even to his opponents in battle. The kid would always do what was never expected, but he always got the job done. One thing was certain though, the boy would never give up no matter what. Naruto's determination could move mountains. His determination could change people—one of which was himself.

Danzo was sure of one thing though. From the moment he had taken them and trained them. They became more than just tools.

All that was left was to stand aside and have faith in their abilities and the training he had given them. 'They'll return alive and in one piece. After all, Konoha still needed them.'

* * *

><p><em>Naruto's heart stopped as the nine tailed fox stepped out from the darkness.<em>

The boy's breath hitched as he felt the dark aura fill the sewage. The water became icy cold as the gigantic fox inched closer. The air became heavy making it harder and harder to breathe. The fox's mere presence gave Naruto the feeling of impending doom.

Gathering his courage the blond boy spoke up. "Kyubi," he said, "what are you doing here?"

"Miserable human. Didn't you hear me call you my host earlier?" The fox stepped closer, stopping just a few feet of the bars that kept him incarcerated.

'Where am I?" continued the boy.

"Truly pathetic don't you think, not even knowing ones own mindscape?" rumbled the chakra beast.

Naruto looked around, giving his surroundings more notice. The sewage seemed like the ones in Root except they were much wider. One only had to put the hokage tower on its side to fit it inside the spacious canals. Looking back at the Kyubi's prison, he could see that only the steel bars kept it in place. '_Why doesn't he escape? Surely steel bars would be nothing to the monstrosity that ravaged Konoha years ago._' Naruto's eyes searched for something—something that would explain the beast's current predicament. His eyes stopped when he saw a small piece of paper that had the makings of a seal. The Kyubi hadn't been killed like the history books had depicted. It had been sealed.

"If it's my mindscape, then what are you doing in it?" the boy asked.

The beast replied with a uncharacteristically happy voice, "Ah it seems the people you trust don't have the same sentiments towards you. Even all your training and hard work just to be acknowledged wasn't enough. To the people you serve you are still after all just a tool. One to be discarded once past its usefulness."

"What are you saying?" he questioned the ancient being.

Kyubi growled, "Listen carefully, as I have not the patience to narrate something twice to such a simple minded being."

The menacing fox swished its humongous tails as it recalled the events that led to its imprisonment.

"It all stared six years ago." The fox's tails stopped swishing as its voice took on a dangerous tone.

The fifty-story high being bared his teeth, "There was a man—a man whose name was once known all throughout the Elemental Nations. This man was so powerful he had the gall to control the strongest of all chakra beasts. Me. The man had many names, yet he had none. He was immensely powerful and all he wanted was revenge against your village. For what offense? I know not. In the silence of one October night he summoned me to wreck havoc on your puny little village. I destroyed everything in my path. I killed your ninja, civilians, everyone and anything that tried to stand up against me. Many heroes made that night, but all of them fell like leaves in the autumn storm. All of them were inconsequential—all of them except the Yondaime Hokage."

Naruto listened carefully as the fox gave him new knowledge on his village's history.

"The man had the guts to face me in one-on-one combat. He had many techniques but none of them could kill one of my kind. No matter how strong he was no one could last against my might. Finally only one course of action remained for the young hokage. There was only one course of action that would save his village. He would have to seal me in the strongest possible container. It would be nothing less than a newborn child. That child was you."

The room was silent as the boy tried to process everything he had just heard. _'That's why the people at the orphanage hated me. Am I really just a tool to the village and Root? What am I to Danzo-jiji, Aika, and Hokage-jiji?'_

* * *

><p><em>Blood splattered as the cool steel met flesh.<em>

Aika grimaced as the warm liquid, got unto her face. She averted her eyes from her teammate, not wanting to see a comrade dead due to her incompetence.

"We are not your enemies, "said a voice that sounded very much like Fu's.

She traced the source of the voice, seeing a Fu still in once piece. All the blade was able to do was carve a deep cut on the man's cheek.

Aika observed the blue haired man that had been a victim of Fu's assault. The man's pupils were dilated and his breaths were ragged and uneven. '_Classic symptoms of the shintenshin'_ she thought.

The shintenshin was one of the most well known jutsu of the Yamanaka—the clan renowned for its numerous interrogation jutsu. It was the clan's base technique where almost all others stemmed from.

When one activated the technique, he would have complete access to the target's mind. All thoughts and memories were at the user's beck and call. Although very useful the ability still had several drawbacks. When the user gains control of his opponent's motor skills, he must relinquish his own. Only the very best of the clan could retain use of their bodies whilst controlling the enemy. This made the user liable to attacks from other opponents. Only once the user deactivated the jutsu would he regain normal movement.

To Aika it seemed that Fu had not only stolen valuable intel but had been fast enough to tip his head and avoid the blade aimed for his neck. _'You never cease to amaze Fu-taicho.'_

"Say that again," replied the red-haired woman once again threatening Fu at sword point.

Her fellow Root nin responded without batting an eyelash, "We are not your enemies."

The woman raised the blade nearer his neck. "Explain." she said.

Fu explained in an even tone, "Once I had your ally in my jutsu, I quickly worked my way to determine your allegiance. We had just encountered some ninja with the same attire as his, and I wanted to ascertain our mission's probability for completion. I found out that our groups have common interests as you are not Kiri-nin yourselv-"

Even before Aika could blink, Fu was sent reeling to the ground by the flat end of the blade.

"Remember this. I am a ninja of Kirigakure. The ones killing my people under Yagura's rule are not. You would do well not to make the same mistake again."

Fu wiped his bloodied lip on his shoulder and nodded. "Never again."

After the woman calmed down the man asked if he could proceed. The woman crossed her arms and gave him a nod.

"With my jutsu I discovered that you were the one's opposing the reign of the current Mizukage. You and your men were the so-called rebels—the ones standing in the way of the annihilation of all bloodline users. A minority that you yourself are part of."

" How did you-" started the leader of the Kiri faction.

Fu gestured at the woman's ally. "What he knows I know." He pointed out. "As it stands you are low on resources and intel. Things that my group has in no meager supply. Although we have the resources and the information needed to mount a successful rebellion we lack firepower. Our bases have the maps that show Kiri's military strength. Supplies and bunkers of theirs have been infiltrated and drawn on these maps. You have your strengths we have ours; let us work together to defeat a common enemy."

Aika knew that they needed the woman's help if they were still to recover the stolen Byakugan. The eyes would be on their way to Kirigakure now. Mounting a mission to recover it in the hidden village would be suicide. That's what they needed—cannon fodder.

"You have yourselves an ally." The woman formed handseals, making the rope binding them disintegrate. "But the second you accomplish your objective you will leave Kiri."

Akia now free from her bindings stood up and searched the rest of the room for the rest of her team.

Confused, the girl looked at the more powerful female and asked, "I thought you had all of us?"

The woman replied, "That is all of you."

* * *

><p>Naruto looked at the huge nin-tailed monster in front of him. A hundred questions were running through his mind.<p>

"If you're here because you are sealed within me, what am I doing here?"

The fox growled as it responded, " You're dying. You were stupid enough to help that wretched girl! If you die I lose a decade or so on this plane. I will not have my existence compromised by some kid who wants to play hero."

'I—"

"Foolish boy! You even thought that you had to help the girl escape, when you could have escaped yourself by leaving her to her fate.

"Am I going to die?" the boy asked with a small voice.

'If I had it my way you'll only die by my paw. But alas, I will have to wait for that day to come. Don't worry chakra will purge the toxins in your system. Now get out of my sight!"

Bubbling chakra crept in between the bars and latched on to him. Pain coursed through his body as the vile energy coursed through him. His body jerked as the foreign substance overwhelmed all his senses.

Beyond the cold steel bars the fox smirked as the boy writhed in pain.

_'I can't…I can't'_ his thoughts were mangled as the pain rose to a whole new level. Soon everything was too much for him to handle. His vision was blurred by a bright light when he closed his eyes.

The light became brighter forcing Naruto to use his arms to cover his eyes.

"It seems he is awake," replied a familiar voice. Apparently his movement was not missed by the people who held him in their care.

Another familiar voice added, "Danzo-sama will not be pleased with your sleeping on the job, Naruto-taicho." Even with his eyes covered, it wasn't hard to tell that the person was smirking.

The first voice added, " Yes. He wouldn't be too pleased. After all Konoha still ne-"

"Still needs me." Naruto finished.

The jinchuriki uncovered his eyes and observed at his fellow Root nin. _'Sai and Dajimu huh?'_

Sai still looked as pale as ever. His black hair was tousled and tangled. The nin had bags under his eyes. _'He must have not had slept the past few days'_

Dajimu on the other hand looked to be in a worse condition than his companion. The left side of his head was covered with bandages. He also noticed the operative tended to cradle his left arm closer to his body. _'Dajimu must have used it to break his fall.'_

"What are you guys doing here?" he said whilst tousling the pale nin's hair more.

"We have our orders," replied the ever emotionless, Dajimu.

The blond boy tried to counter, "I know but what- Aaaaaahhhhhhh!"

He cursed his stupidity when he suddenly realized why everything was so bright._ 'Dammit, Danzo-jiji must never know about this one.'_ Danzo always said that even though he displayed analytical skills far beyond his age, he could still be fooled by the glaringly obvious.

Everything was so bright because they were on of Sai's ink bird flying a few hundred feet above the ocean's surface. The sun was rising from the direction they were heading—East.

From his vantage point he could see the ocean stretching endlessly. The deep blue seas below were empty save for a large transport ship braving the Land of Water's treacherous waters. _'That seems odd,'_ he thought.

Recalling his lessons on the particular eastern territory, he knew that these waters were filled with pirates. A large transport ship like that, without escort boats containing shinobi would be nothing but an advertisement for pirates to board. _'Unless the ship itself already has shinobi on it,'_ he reasoned.

Observing the boat further, he noticed that the boat seemed to be too well built to be a transport vessel. It had a metallic hull that glimmered in the sunlight. Large smokestacks spewed forth billowing smoke. The bow was sharp yet had bulk. This boat was thin enough to cut through waves yet strong enough to take another ship head on. It was fast and steady.

Even from the height they flew at Naruto could see several large crates on the ship's stern deck. Even though it was full of cargo the ship appeared to be moving as fast as them. _'Or maybe we're the ones moving as fast as them.'_

The boy voiced his thoughts, "We're shadowing that ship aren't we?"

Sai gave him one of his fake smiles and said, "You never miss anything don't you Naruto-taicho?"

Taking this as confirmation, Naruto barked, " Sai, Dajimu report!"

Sai closed his eyes remembering the events that had occurred earlier. "In the past few days a lot has happened. It all started a few hours after you had left to retrieve the Byakugan eyes. Danzo-sama received confirmation through his seals that one of our contacts in Kiri was being interrogated. Root can't have been implicated though. The seal on his tongue stopped him from revealing our secrets, and it alerted Danzo-sama."

Naruto thought back to when the seals were placed on the Root operatives.

Flashback

It had been just a year after he had entered Root and Naruto was curious about anything to do with shinobi.

"Danzo-jiji, what are those seals on the tongues of Sai-san and Torune-san?" he asked.

The elder replied, "Those seals prevent our agents from revealing this organization. "

Naruto wondered whether he and his friend would receive them. "Jiji, will Aika-chan and I have those?"

Danzo looked down at the young jinchuriki and answered his question, "You won't both of you are far too valuable to brand. Both of you are part of a bigger plan."

"What plan is that sensei?" the boy asked.

The secretive commander replied, " You'll know in time."

Flashback End

Naruto shook his head, realization added more questions to answer. _'That's why security in Koka no Te was raised. They must have found out Root and decided not to let us have our way. But how did they find me so quickly? Why was security focused not on the borders but inside the town?'_

The young Root nin's thoughts were cut short as Sai continued, "After receiving confirmation, Danzo-sama ordered the three core squads to back you up since Koka no Te wasn't as peaceful as we thought it to be."

_'Three core squads? Torune's… Fu's… and mine...Aika!'_ he thought.

Naruto looked at the other member on his team and said, "Where are they? Where is my team?"

Dajimu replied wordlessly by nudging his bandaged head toward the sea vessel they were following.

"What happened?" he asked the bandaged teen.

Said teen cradled his arm tighter to his body before explaining, " We arrived just in time to witness one of your stronger explosive justu."

"That was my bunshin daibakuha." Naruto added.

Dajimu continued, " Right after the explosion Fu found your chakra trace. We knew it would lead to the where the explosion occurred. It's just your style to do something like that." he said with a weak grin.

His other teammate decided to continue the tale. " The core teams split up. Aika's team was to retrieve you while Torune's and Fu's would hold the enemy off. We were able to find your location exactly when you fell from the poisoned senbon."

"You must be the ones I saw" he said to no one in particular.

Dajimu merely nodded before recounting the rest of the events. "Hai. When you fell Aika-taicho directed us to take you back to the base. We decided to use the main entrance since no one would be able to follow us. The rest of the core teams had the enemy too busy to follow us on air. We arrived at the base just in time to see a huge contingent of Kiri-nin enter. I went back to alert the rest but they were already gone."

Naruto bit his lip in thought. "They must have been taken." he said.

The pale nin decided to takeover, " Hai. We figured that out and decided to stake out the base to learn more. The next day the arrival of more Kiri-nin confirmed our suspicions. These new Kiri-nin were some sort of prison guards. They brought out the rest of the core teams shackled. We followed as they were led to a Kiri-held prison where they were thrown together with bloodline clan members. Not even a few hours later they, together with the Kekkei genkai users, were loaded unto that ship. Half a day later, here we are."

The young shinobi's eyes widened, "We need to rescue them or else they'll be terminated with the rest of the bloodline users.

Sai and Dajimu nodded. "Hai."

Without a doubt in his mind Naruto thought, _'We will save them.'_

* * *

><p>The sound of parchment filled the room. Some of the room's occupants were opening old maps whilst some were furiously taking down notes. The rectangular room had a serious ambiance to it. All the people inside intensively focused on their task. As of the moment, there were twelve of them in the room. A tall, slender woman wearing a blue dress could be seen taking charge of the meeting. To her right were eight men wearing blue-green robes signifying allegiance to the country where the meeting was currently being conducted. On her other side, in all black outfits, was a young girl and two teenagers.<p>

The topic of the council was the liberation of the Land of Water.

Kiri was experiencing the greatest turmoil and upheaval it ever had since it had been founded. Ninjas and civilians that had different traits were being rounded up, and sent off to be executed. Ninja clans with bloodlines tried to escape the Mizukage's but most of them were caught due to the skilled hunter-nin of Kiri. Once caught, they would be prisoners until they were "tried" in the capital. After they were tried, the one of the infamous seven swordsmen of the mist would strike the finishing blow.

Aika looked at the detailed map of Kirigakure. She had been part of the council since Torune and Fu had insisted that all three squad leaders should be present in the meeting. She mused on the situation in Hidden Village of the Mist whilst Mei, the redhead from earlier, explained her plan.

The plan was to capture one of Kiri's island bases, release the bloodline users and take back the capital.

She knew that this was flawed, as the attack on the base would without a doubt warn the capital. The city would then raise its defenses and the invasion would have to wait until the defenses were lowered. Even then Kiri would be on high alert of the rebels. There would be no opportunity like the one presented now.

"Any questions?" she asked.

The youngest person in the room raised her hand.

"Yes?" Mei queried.

"The plan won't work."

The right side of the room broke into whispers. All of the room's occupants save Aika's companions were scandalized by her audacity.

"Excuse me?" said an annoyed Mei with a raised eyebrow.

Aika explained, "Once a base is attacked, Kirigakure will heighten security everywhere. Kekkei Genkai users in other towns will be immediately slaughtered. You won't be able to save all of them. Kiri will be bloodier than ever. Casualties on our side won't be minimal. When this happens, Kirigakure will be nigh on impenetrable and you'll have to build another army almost from scratch."

The older woman gave her a small nod in understanding. "What do you propose we should do then?"

"We'll let ourselves be captured. Some of us will join the prisoners while the rest sneak unto the transport to Kiri. Once on route to Kirigakure, we'll set ourselves free and take control of the ship. We then substitute the Mizukage's sympathizers onboard, for the prisoners. When the trials start we strike and overthrow the kage's reign."

Mei looked at the young female appreciatively. "For one so young you have such a keen mind." She turned to one of her men at the right. "Ao contact the hunter-nin division and tell them that your squad has apprehended the battalion that they had just fought."

The man she referred to turned out to be the blue-haired man from earlier. "Hai! Mei-sama." he responded as he blurred out of the room.

Looking at the Root-nin, Mei explained what she had in mind. "When the hunter-nin arrive we'll have your chakra sealed and you'll be tied up. You'll be brought unto the ship with the bloodline users. As it travels to Kiri, Ao will set you free. Together with his loyal men you must be able to take control of the vessel."

The woman eyed her men once again. "Are we ready?" she asked.

Aika, together with the rest of them replied, "Hai!"

Mei knew that they would triumph. The people of Kiri would fight for their freedom with all their might.

END OF CHAPTER

* * *

><p>Author's notes:<p>

Thanks to all those who have reviewed! If you haven't, then you know what to do!

I hope you guys liked this chapter. I've read your reviews and I'll try to cover all the details.

Entrance exams for college are coming up and I won't have time to update that much. I'll try to update as soon as the exams are over.

Wish me luck!

-E


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